{"id":35880,"date":"2023-02-09T11:04:53","date_gmt":"2023-02-09T18:04:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/seniors-led-by-gray-and-barnett-keep-bulldogs-on-top\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T08:27:37","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T08:27:37","slug":"seniors-led-by-gray-and-barnett-keep-bulldogs-on-top","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/seniors-led-by-gray-and-barnett-keep-bulldogs-on-top\/","title":{"rendered":"Seniors led by Gray and Barnett keep Bulldogs on top"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Dove
Dove Creek head coach Julie Kibel talks with her team during a timeout at Montezuma-Cortez High School. (Ben Bradley\/Special to The Journal)<\/span>Ben Bradley\/Special to The Journal<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

Ask any of their opponents \u2013 there are moments when the Dove Creek girls are in a league of their own.<\/p>\n

Maybe take it a step further \u2013 take a look at the entire Western Slope \u2013 nobody stands on the same footing as a Bulldogs program on the precipice of something special.<\/p>\n

\"Dove
Dove Creek senior Lexi Gray boxes out Mongtezuma-Cortez junior Kayce Tom in a game at M-CHS. (Ben Bradley\/Special to The Journal)<\/span>Ben Bradley\/Special to The Journal<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Montezuma-Cortez
Montezuma-Cortez junior Cyriah Begay talks strategy with her head coach Brad Wright in a game at M-CHS. (Ben Bradley\/Special to The Journal)<\/span>Ben Bradley\/Special to The Journal<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Dove
Dove Creek senior Trista Barnett runs out behind the defense on the break in a game at Montezuma-Cortez High School. (Ben Bradley\/Special to The Journal)<\/span>Ben Bradley\/Special to The Journal<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Dove
Dove Creek senior Trista Barnett guards Montezuma-Cortez junior Savannah Haselroth in a game at M-CHS. (Ben Bradley\/Special to The Journal)<\/span>Ben Bradley\/Special to The Journal<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Dove
Dove Creek senior Lexi Gray looks to post up against Montezuma-Cortez junior Markylla Jones in a game at M-CHS. (Ben Bradley\/Special to The Journal)<\/span>Ben Bradley\/Special to The Journal<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Dove
Dove Creek senior Rylee Hickman runs a fast break while Montezuma-Cortez freshman Sariah Jackson pursues in a game at M-CHS.. (Ben Bradley\/Special to The Journal)<\/span>Ben Bradley\/Special to The Journal<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Over the past four years, Dove Creek High School has posted an 87% winning percentage, the third-highest of any program in any classification across the Centennial State. Only 1A powerhouse Briggsdale (94%) and 6A Valor Christian (91%) have tallied a better win-loss record over the past four years than the 67-10 Bulldogs.<\/p>\n

The common denominator?<\/p>\n

Five seniors, a team-first mentality and a commitment to excellence every time they step onto the floor.<\/p>\n

Sitting at 14-2 and on a 13-game winning streak heading into the final week of the regular season after a 78-56 win over Montezuma-Cortez, the Bulldogs (14-2, 3-0 2A\/1A SJBL) have made their run look like just another day at the office.<\/p>\n

In the middle of it all stands senior post Lexi Gray, a modicum of consistency for a program built around playing the game the right way. Averaging the most understated double-double in the state (13 points per game and 11 rebounds per game, Gray\u2019s steady leadership keeps an incredible team grounded in the foundational parts of the game that make the Bulldogs so hard to beat.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been playing together since we were little,\u201d said senior Trista Barnett, \u201cbut most importantly, we\u2019re all humble, and that\u2019s played a big part in this group having the success we\u2019ve had.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re playing together \u2013 and we\u2019re winning,\u201d added Barnett, \u201cand that plays a big part in us continuing to have fun through the past four years.\u201d<\/p>\n

The travails of a long season \u2013 which could include the fact that virtually the entire basketball roster carries over from a fantastic fall volleyball season \u2013 require that the Bulldogs have a steady ballast during the inevitable highs and lows of a long campaign. The source of that confidence seems to be unanimous.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Lexi (Gray) talks, everyone listens,\u201d Barnett said matter-of-factly about her classmate.<\/p>\n

For Gray and her four Class of \u201923 teammates, the journey has included plenty of highs \u2013 including back-to-back San Juan Basin League titles and consecutive trips to the state quarterfinals.<\/p>\n

\u201cI try my best to encourage them, provide advice \u2026 whatever I can do,\u201d said Gray, the 2022 SJBL volleyball Player of the Year. \u201cWhenever we get in tough situations, I know it\u2019s best to stay cool, and help my teammates stay confident.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gray has become a rebounding machine, much like her time doing the unsung work as a strong middle hitter in coach Lacey Murphy\u2019s volleyball lineup. Her alacrity around the rim turned missed jump shots into putback points for the Bulldogs, while her rim protection on the other end makes the Bulldog defense tough to breakdown.<\/p>\n

In addition, Gray has a nose for being in the right place at the right time.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s just a lot of experience, I get use to reading things, noticing patterns, and I start to catch on.\u201d The same presence of mind contributed to her leading the Bulldogs in blocks during the volleyball season, and now factors prominently into her ability to take on each opponent\u2019s best efforts to control the game in the paint.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe understand each other so well,\u201d added Gray of her team\u2019s unspoken chemistry, \u201cand we\u2019ve been playing together since middle school and AAU ball \u2013 and on top of that, we have a coach (Julie Kibel) who knows how to motivate us when we\u2019re needing it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Including classmates Rylee Hickman \u2013 who landed on the all-state softball team for M-CHS \u2013 and Kaylin Smith and Destiny Toledo, Gray and Barnett have put together a landmark stretch of seasons for a program that has plenty of banner-worthy achievements over Dove Creek\u2019s illustrious girls basketball history.<\/p>\n

The \u2018Dogs face their final regular season stretch against Dolores Feb. 11, Telluride Feb. 16, and Nucla Feb. 18 before Dove Creek heads into the rigors of postseason play, and the journey back and possibly beyond the state\u2019s final eight gets underway.<\/p>\n

Dove Creek pulls away from tough M-CHS challenge<\/div>\n

Facing a stern test from 3A Montezuma-Cortez (4-10, 2-5 4A\/3A IML) for three quarters, the Dove Creek girls found a way to surge past the host Panthers for a 22-point victory, whose final score belied the tightly contest ballgame.<\/p>\n

The Panthers, behind 17 points from junior Cyriah Begay and 16 from classmate Savannah Haselroth, led 13-10 after eight minutes and held the lead until midway through the third quarter.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe weren\u2019t playing like ourselves,\u201d said Barnett of a sluggish first half against the Panthers, \u201cbut we were able to slow down and find out rhythm.\u201d<\/p>\n

The \u2018Dogs trailed a feisty M-CHS effort through 16 minutes, with the host Panthers taking a 33-31 lead into the locker room.<\/p>\n

The teams traded momentum in the third quarter, with a tight 51-49 Dove Creek lead heading to the fourth quarter as evidence that the Panthers weren\u2019t going to back down against one of the premier small schools in the state.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, offensive rebounds, second-chance points and a bevy of transition buckets turned the tide in the contest, helping the Bulldogs outscore M-CHS 27-7 in the final frame to keep their winning streak alive.<\/p>\n

Staying grounded is the primary focus for Kibel\u2019s group.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe never look past any team,\u201d added Barnett. \u201cWe always focus on the game that\u2019s in front of us \u2013 because we know that\u2019s what is going to get us to the next level.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hickman\u2019s 22 points paced the way for the visitors, while Gray added 14 points. Barnett tallied 13 in the win, while Kalie (16 points) and Kylie (10 points) Gatlin rounded out a balanced effort for Dove Creek.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s so much fun to win tough games like this,\u201d added Gray, \u201cbecause it helps us gain a lot of experience for state.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bulldogs top off a strong run with a win over Montezuma-Cortez<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":35562,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[600,39,28,36,29,346],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-35880","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-basketball","tag-dove-creek-high-school","tag-headlines","tag-montezuma-cortez-high-school","tag-newsletter","tag-sports"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35880","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35880"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35880\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":83155,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35880\/revisions\/83155"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35562"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35880"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35880"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35880"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=35880"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}